Primary Name: Kane, L.

Filed as: kane_l

Also known as: L. Kane

Occupation / Association:

Born:

Died:

Parents:

Spouse: Daughter of Lucy Shotter and George Ray Shotter, Senior

Children:

Associated places: Hoonah, Alaska

Keywords: L Kane, Kane L, Hoonah Alaska residents, Shotter family Hoonah, Lucy Shotter, George Ray Shotter Sr

Biography

L. Kane lived in Hoonah, Alaska. He married a daughter of Lucy Shotter and George Ray Shotter, Senior.

Sources

Find-A-Grave

Tags: L Kane, Kane L, Hoonah Alaska, Shotter family, Lucy Shotter, George Ray Shotter Sr

L Kane Kane L L. Kane Kane

Primary Name: Shotter, Frank

Filed as: Shotter, Frank

Also known as: Frank Shotter

Occupation / Association: Resident of Hoonah, Alaska

Associated places: Hoonah, Alaska; Wrangell, Alaska; Chemainus, British Columbia, Canada; Seattle, Washington; California

Keywords: Frank Shotter, Shotter family Southeast Alaska, George Ray Shotter Sr family, Lucy Shotter Tlingit family, Hoonah Alaska families, Wrangell Alaska Native families

Biography

Frank Shotter was a resident of Hoonah, Alaska, and a member of the Shotter family of Southeast Alaska.

He was the son of Lucy Shotter, a Tlingit woman from Wrangell, Alaska, and George Ray Shotter, Sr..

His siblings included George Ray Shotter, Jr., who was born April 5, 1882, in Chemainus, British Columbia, Canada; Mrs. L. Kane; Mrs. Thomas Murray of Hoonah; Mrs. J.O. Ross of Seattle; and Margaret Shotter Evans of California.

The Shotter family formed part of the extended network of Southeast Alaska Native and settler families whose lives connected communities throughout the region.

Sources

Find-A-Grave

Primary Name: Shotter, Lucy

Filed as: Shotter, Lucy

Also known as: Lucy Shotter

Occupation / Association: Tlingit resident of Southeast Alaska

Associated places: Wrangell, Alaska; Hoonah, Alaska; Seattle, Washington; Chemainus, British Columbia, Canada; California

Keywords: Lucy Shotter, George Ray Shotter Sr family, Tlingit families Wrangell Alaska, Shotter family Southeast Alaska, Hoonah Alaska families, early Alaska Native families

Biography

Lucy Shotter was a Tlingit woman from Wrangell, Alaska.

She married George Ray Shotter, Sr. The family was part of the network of early Southeast Alaska Native and settler communities that connected coastal towns throughout the region.

Their children included George Ray Shotter, Jr., who was born April 5, 1882, in Chemainus, British Columbia, Canada; Frank Shotter; Mrs. L. Kane; Mrs. Thomas Murray of Hoonah; Mrs. J.O. Ross of Seattle; and Margaret Shotter Evans of California.

Sources

Find-A-Grave

Shotter, George Ray, Jr.

Born: April 5, 1882

Birthplace: Chemainus, British Columbia, Canada

Died: January 4, 1931 (age 48)

Place of death: St. Ann's Hospital, Juneau, Alaska

Burial: Douglas Indian Cemetery, Douglas, Alaska

Parents: George Ray Shotter, Sr.; Lucy Shotter of Wrangell

Spouse: Frances W. Shotter of Hoonah

Occupation: Fox rancher

Biography

George Ray Shotter, Jr. was born on April 5, 1882, in Chemainus, British Columbia, Canada, the son of George Ray Shotter, Sr. and Lucy Shotter of Wrangell, Alaska.

Members of the Shotter family were connected with communities throughout Southeast Alaska. His siblings included Frank Shotter, Mrs. L. Kane, Mrs. Thomas Murray of Hoonah, Mrs. J.O. Ross of Seattle, and Margaret Shotter Evans of California.

Shotter married Frances W. Shotter of Hoonah. At the time of his death, the couple had no living children.

He worked as a fox rancher, an occupation that was part of the fur farming industry that developed along the coast of Alaska in the early twentieth century.

Contemporary records described him as being of mixed race, approximately 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighing about 145 pounds, with a dark complexion and dark hair.

George Ray Shotter, Jr. died of pneumonia on January 4, 1931, at the age of 48 after a twenty-day stay at St. Ann’s Hospital in Juneau. His attending physician was Dr. W.W. Council.

Shotter was buried in the Douglas Indian Cemetery, with Chas W. Carter serving as undertaker.

Sources

• Find A Grave memorial records

Porcupine Mining District Discovery

In 1898, prospectors Mix Silva, Edward Findley, and Perry Wiley, who had been grubstaked by Jack Dalton, discovered placer gold on Porcupine Creek north of Haines near the Dalton Trail. Following the discovery, the Porcupine Mining District was formally organized on October 22, 1898.

On November 5, 1898, Dalton and his three prospectors located the Discovery Claim. Additional claims were subsequently located by Dalton and his business partners, E. B. Hanley and John Malony.

The district experienced a stampede in 1899 as prospectors rushed to the area. Gold was discovered in nearby creeks, and additional deposits of gold and copper were found as far as sixty miles away, including in the Rainy Hollow district in Canada. During the first year of mining, gold production was reportedly worth approximately $50,000, of which about $40,000 came from Dalton’s Discovery Claim.

The deposits in the district were rich but fairly deep, requiring significant infrastructure to mine effectively. Miles of ditches and flumes were constructed to supply water for hydraulic lifts, sometimes called gravel elevators, where miners processed the gravel to recover gold.

Commercial support for the new district was supplied by the Porcupine Trading Company, organized by Dalton, Hanley, and Malony on August 1, 1899. The company imported mining equipment and extended liberal credit to other miners operating in the district.

In 1900, Dalton and his partners shipped in approximately 300 tons of equipment and supplies. The mines operated profitably until about 1905, when a major flood destroyed much of the mining infrastructure. Recognizing that most of the easily recovered gold had likely been extracted, Dalton, Hanley, and Malony sold their interests at a profit in 1907.

Source
Alaska Mining Hall of Fame 

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Primary Name: Findley, Edward

Filed as: Findley, Edward

Also known as: Edward Findley

Occupation / Association: Prospector; miner; discoverer of placer gold on Porcupine Creek; Porcupine Mining District discovery party

Associated places: Porcupine Creek, Alaska; Haines, Alaska; Dalton Trail; Rainy Hollow district, British Columbia

Keywords: Edward Findley, Porcupine Creek gold discovery, Porcupine Mining District, Dalton Trail prospectors, Jack Dalton mining operations, Mix Silva prospector, Perry Wiley prospector, Alaska gold rush prospectors, Haines Alaska mining history

Biography

Edward Findley was one of the prospectors associated with the discovery of placer gold on Porcupine Creek north of Haines along the Dalton Trail.

In 1898, prospectors Mix Silva, Edward Findley, and Perry Wiley, who had been grubstaked by Jack Dalton, discovered placer gold on Porcupine Creek north of Haines near the Dalton Trail. Following the discovery, the Porcupine Mining District was formally organized on October 22, 1898.

On November 5, 1898, Dalton and his three prospectors located the Discovery Claim. Additional claims were soon located by Dalton and his business partners, E. B. Hanley and John Malony. The district was stampeded in 1899 as prospectors rushed into the region. Gold was discovered in nearby creeks, and both gold and copper were found in areas as much as sixty miles distant, including the Rainy Hollow district in Canada. The first year’s gold production was reportedly worth about $50,000, of which approximately $40,000 came from Dalton’s Discovery Claim.

The deposits in the district were rich but fairly deep, requiring complex infrastructure to mine effectively. Miles of ditches and flumes were constructed to supply water to hydraulic lifts, sometimes called gravel elevators, where miners recovered the gold. Commercial support for the new district was supplied by the Porcupine Trading Company, organized by Dalton, Hanley, and Malony on August 1, 1899. The company brought in mining equipment and extended liberal credit to other miners working in the district.

In 1900, Dalton and his partners shipped approximately 300 tons of equipment and supplies into the district. The mines operated profitably until about 1905, when a major flood washed out a considerable amount of the mining infrastructure. Recognizing that much of the easily recovered gold had likely been extracted, Dalton, Hanley, and Malony sold their interests profitably in 1907.

Edward Findley’s role in the original discovery party places him among the early prospectors whose work helped open the Porcupine Mining District and contributed to the mining history of the Haines region during Alaska’s gold rush era.

Sources

Alaska Mining Hall of Fame

Primary Name: Porcupine Mining District

Filed as: Porcupine Mining District

Also known as: Porcupine Creek Gold Discovery

Occupation / Association: Placer gold mining district

Associated places: Porcupine Creek, Alaska; Haines, Alaska; Dalton Trail; Rainy Hollow District, Canada

Keywords: Porcupine Mining District Alaska, Porcupine Creek gold discovery, Jack Dalton, Mix Silva, Edward Findley, Perry Wiley, EB Hanley, John Malony, Porcupine Trading Company, Dalton Trail mining, Haines Alaska mining history, Rainy Hollow mining district, Alaska placer mining, hydraulic mining Alaska, Alaska gold rush mining districts

Biography

In 1898 prospectors Mix Silva, Edward Findley, and Perry Wiley, who had been grubstaked by Jack Dalton, discovered placer gold on Porcupine Creek north of Haines along the Dalton Trail. The discovery quickly attracted attention and the Porcupine Mining District was formally organized on October 22, 1898.

On November 5, 1898, Dalton and the three prospectors located the Discovery Claim. Additional claims were soon located by Dalton and his business partners E. B. Hanley and John Malony. The district experienced a mining rush in 1899 as prospectors arrived and began working nearby creeks and surrounding areas.

Prospectors soon discovered gold in nearby creeks and both gold and copper deposits in areas as much as sixty miles distant, including the Rainy Hollow district in Canada. First-year production from the Porcupine district was reported to be worth approximately $50,000, with about $40,000 coming from Dalton’s Discovery Claim.

The gold deposits in the district were rich but fairly deep, requiring significant infrastructure to mine profitably. Miners constructed miles of ditches and flumes to deliver water to hydraulic mining systems. Hydraulic lifts, sometimes called gravel elevators, were used to raise gold-bearing gravel for processing.

Commercial support for the mining district came from the Porcupine Trading Company, organized by Dalton, Hanley, and Malony on August 1, 1899. The company imported mining equipment and provided supplies and credit to miners working in the district.

In 1900 Dalton and his partners shipped approximately 300 tons of mining equipment and supplies into the area. Mining operations continued profitably until around 1905, when a major flood destroyed much of the mining infrastructure. Recognizing that much of the easily recovered gold had been extracted, Dalton, Hanley, and Malony sold their interests in the district in 1907.

Sources

Alaska Mining Hall of Fame.

Primary Name: Coutts, Robert

Filed as: coutts_robert

Also known as: Robert Coutts

Occupation / Association: Historian

Born:

Died:

Parents:

Spouse:

Children:

Associated places: Canada; Yukon; Klondike

Keywords: Robert Coutts historian, Coutts Robert, Dalton Trail historian, Yukon Klondike historians

Biography

Robert Coutts is a Canadian historian who has written about the development of transportation routes during the Klondike Gold Rush.

Coutts summarized the operations of Jack Dalton and the Dalton Trail into the Yukon during the gold rush:

"The only man to control a major transportation route into the Yukon and Klondike, Dalton ran pack trains and delivered livestock to the miners. He allowed others to use his trail for a toll and backed his authority with his reputation and a gun. One group that refused to pay was accompanied for the whole journey by Jack Dalton, who kept them well away from his route . . . They lost most of their stock. No one else tried to travel without paying."

Sources

Historical writings of Robert Coutts on the Dalton Trail and Klondike transportation routes

Robert Coutts Coutts Robert

Tags: Robert Coutts, Coutts Robert, historians of the Klondike, Yukon history, Dalton Trail history

Primary Name: Treadwell, John

Filed as: Treadwell, John

Also known as: John Treadwell

Occupation / Association: Mining entrepreneur; founder of the Treadwell Mine operations on Douglas Island

Associated places: Douglas Island, Alaska; Gastineau Channel, Alaska; Juneau, Alaska; San Francisco, California; St. Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada

Keywords: John Treadwell, Treadwell Mine, Alaska Mill and Mining Company, Alaska Gold Mining Company, Douglas Island mining, Gastineau Channel gold mining, Alaska territorial mining history, Treadwell mining complex, Alaska mining pioneers

Biography

John Treadwell, a California carpenter with a background in mining, prospected, explored, developed, and operated Alaska’s first successful large-scale, low-grade gold mine. His work played a major role in stimulating the economy of the Territory of Alaska and advancing large-scale industrial mining in the United States during the late nineteenth century.

Treadwell was born in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada. In 1881, he was building a house in California for a prominent banker when news arrived of a promising gold prospect across the Gastineau Channel from Juneau, Alaska, on Douglas Island. The banker, John Fry, suggested that Treadwell travel north to examine the property.

Initially unimpressed with the deposit, Treadwell planned to return to San Francisco. While waiting for a ship, however, he met a French-Canadian prospector who described the claim but was financially unable to develop it. Treadwell purchased the claim sight unseen for $400. Assay results later proved encouraging, prompting him to organize a mining venture with Fry and an associate.

In May 1882, he returned to Alaska with a five-stamp mill and formed the Alaska Mill and Mining Company. Early operations demonstrated that the deposit could be profitable if worked on a much larger scale. The experimental mill was replaced with a 120-stamp mill in 1883, and in 1887, another 120 stamps were added.

These developments marked the beginning of the Treadwell mining complex, which eventually grew into a system of four mines and five mills. Together, they produced nearly $70 million in gold. At peak capacity in 1914, the combined mills operated 960 stamps, crushing approximately 5,000 tons of rock per day—then a world record—with an average value of about $2.50 per ton.

Approximately 2,000 men worked eight-hour shifts seven days a week, 363 days per year, with only Christmas and the Fourth of July as holidays. By 1920, miners’ wages averaged about $100 per month, among the highest in the world at the time.

The mining camp that grew around the operation developed into a substantial community known as Treadwell. During its forty-year evolution, it expanded from a single claim into a thriving town with stores, bunkhouses, mess halls, recreational facilities, and even a marching band and natatorium.

Treadwell himself sold his interests in 1889 to the Alaska Gold Mining Company for a reported $1.5 million. His success attracted additional investment and settlement to Alaska and brought national attention to the region’s mineral resources. The industrial methods used in the Treadwell operations helped shape modern hard-rock mining practices.

Mining operations ended in 1917 when caving and flooding destroyed large sections of the Treadwell mines. Afterward, Treadwell briefly pursued coal development projects in western Alaska, though these ventures proved unsuccessful. Later, he became involved in banking, but the bank eventually failed, and he filed for bankruptcy.

Sources

Telephone Hill Historic Neighborhood
Alaska Mining Hall of Fame

Primary Name: Pilz, George

Filed as: Pilz, George

Also known as: George Pilz

Occupation / Association: Mining engineer; prospector; Alaska mining promoter

Associated places: Saxony, Germany; Freiberg, Germany; Sitka, Alaska; Silver Bay, Alaska; Juneau, Alaska; Chilkoot Pass, Alaska; Dawson, Yukon; Katalla, Alaska; Chitina, Alaska; Forty-Mile region, Alaska; Eagle, Alaska; San Francisco, California; Michigan copper range

Keywords: George Pilz, Alaska mining engineer, Freiberg Mining Academy graduates, Silver Bay lode gold Alaska, Juneau gold discovery promoters, Joe Juneau prospecting party, Richard T Harris prospecting party, Auk Chief Kowee samples, Chilkoot Pass exploration, early Alaska mining development

Biography

George Pilz, one of the first professional mining engineers to work in Alaska, became a leading figure among the miners who entered the territory during the first decades following the United States purchase of Alaska.

Pilz was born in Saxony and educated at the renowned Mining Academy at Freiberg. After working on coal exploration in Germany, he left the country in 1867 to avoid conscription during the Franco-Prussian War.

Initially, Pilz investigated mining prospects in Canada and the United States for a German-owned company. He later left that position to work for the Calumet and Hecla Mining Company at Hancock in Michigan’s copper range. In 1869, he departed Michigan to erect a copper smelter in California.

During the following decade, Pilz worked throughout California, Arizona, and Nevada prospecting, developing mines, and erecting mills and smelters. His reputation for blunt and often cantankerous competence assured him steady employment, though it also kept him moving frequently from project to project.

In 1878, Pilz met Nicholas Haley in San Francisco. Haley, who had previously been stationed with the United States Army in Sitka, possessed rich gold-quartz specimens taken from the Stewart and other lodes near Silver Bay south of Sitka. Pilz initially suspected the samples originated from California’s Grass Valley district, but discussions with army officers and soldiers convinced him that the specimens truly came from Alaska.

Pilz secured financial backing and, in February 1879, traveled to Alaska to construct a mine and mill at Silver Bay. Gold processed by his five-stamp mill became the first lode gold produced in Alaska. The mine closed early in 1880 when the deposit proved too low-grade to sustain operations, though later events would vindicate Pilz’s belief that the region held significant mineral potential.

Seeking additional discoveries throughout Southeast Alaska, Pilz enlisted the assistance of several Tlingit communities, who supplied mineral samples from different areas. Pilz then dispatched experienced prospectors to investigate these reports, including Alaska Mining Hall of Fame inductees Joe Juneau and Richard T. Harris.

One of Pilz’s prospecting parties helped open Chilkoot Pass, which later became the principal gateway to the Klondike gold fields. The route was opened after Navy Captain Lester Beardslee negotiated with the Chilkat Tlingit to allow freighting through the pass.

Among the most promising samples received by Pilz were brought by Alaska Mining Hall of Fame inductee Auk Chief Kowee, who lived on Admiralty Island near the site of the modern city of Juneau. These specimens likely originated from the Gastineau Channel area.

Acting on Pilz’s direction, Harris and Juneau made their discovery in early October 1880 in Silver Bow Basin above present-day Juneau. Their earlier trip had taken them to Gold Creek, where they found promising placer gold and quartz fragments containing gold.

A grubstake agreement arranged by Pilz allowed Harris and Juneau to stake placer claims for themselves while granting Pilz a majority interest in the lode claims on a three-to-one basis.

After confirming the discovery in Silver Bow Basin, Harris and Juneau returned to Sitka, where Pilz joined them. Satisfied that the claims had been properly staked, Pilz approved the work and helped promote the new mining district. News of the discovery sparked a rush to the area in December 1880.

Controversy later arose involving N. A. Fuller, a Sitka merchant who had been connected with Pilz’s operations. Pilz maintained that Fuller acted only on his behalf, but the matter eventually resulted in a lawsuit in Sitka in 1886 in which Fuller obtained judgment against Richard T. Harris.

At the time, Pilz might have aided Harris, but was imprisoned in San Francisco, awaiting trial on a fraud charge he always denied. Despite later disputes between the two men, contemporary correspondence shows Pilz regarded Harris as one of his closest associates during the early Juneau mining period.

Miners from Juneau even sent gold dust to San Francisco to help Pilz post bail. The episode reflected the complicated and often contentious nature of Pilz’s career.

Pilz also likely erected the first prefabricated building in Alaska, constructing a pre-built house in Sitka. On February 7, 1881, he chaired a miners’ meeting that adopted revised mining district rules for the Harris district. He was also involved in organizing and platting the early town that became Juneau, then known as Rockwell or Harrisburg.

In later years, Pilz continued working in mining ventures across North America. He was reported in Dawson in 1906, at Katalla in 1907, working on coal projects, and in Chitina in 1911. He later spent many years in the Forty-Mile region.

George Pilz died in Eagle, Alaska, on September 15, 1926, remembered as a brilliant but often combative pioneer mining engineer who played a key role in the discovery and early development of the Juneau gold district.

Sources

Alaska Mining Hall of Fame.